The aim of my blog is to share all the things I enjoy as I walk around the British countryside, including scenery, photography, history and nature. This includes reviews of gear bought by myself and my husband and places we visit, along with different articles on all kinds of walking related topics.
As the old saying goes, I'll take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints.

Pages

Monday, 4 November 2013

Pen-y-Ghent (Yorkshire Three Peaks) - August 2013

One of the most demanding walks in the UK is the "Yorkshire
Three Peaks Challenge", which requires
walkers to climb to the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside in
under 12 hours.This entails walking a distance
of 25 miles and approximately 7,000 feet of ascent in total.Those who successfully complete the challenge
within the 12 hour timeframe are eligible to join the Yorkshire Three Peaks Club.Whilst it is certainly one of my ambitions to
complete this challenge, in the first instance my aim is to concentrate on
conquering the peaks one at a time.

And so it was in August this year that I set off to tackle
Pen-y-Ghent.This wasn't just to be my
first "Three Peaks" summit, but also at 2,277 feet Pen-y-Ghent is officially a mountain.At the beginning of this year, when I took up
walking seriously again, I promised myself I would start to tackle hills and
eventually mountains.It had taken a
little longer than I anticipated, but after my adventures in the Preseli Hills
of Wales I felt ready for a proper mountain, albeit a small one.

There are several routes to the top of Pen-y-Ghent and we opted
to take the most popular southern ascent.Leaving from the village of
Horton-in-Ribblesdale, the route climbs steadily to begin with, following the
line of drystone walls until the serious final stage, which includes something
of a scramble on bare rock.It's a very
popular walk, with people converging on the summit from all directions.Joining us on the ascent were family groups, fell runners, dog walkers
and those taking part in the bigger challenge.

We chose to make the walk a circuit (approximately 8 miles)
and so descended by the gentler northern slope, thus passing by Hull Pot.This is a natural feature, formed when the
roof of a natural cave collapsed and said to be the largest natural hole in
Britain.My photograph doesn't really do
it justice - but it was a long way down!The only way down to the bottom is by rope.

Unfortunately the day was overcast and the light less than
favourable for photography (most of my pictures were taken with my phone), so although I did take a shot from the summit, the
view looks rather lacklustre.However,
the lack of sunshine did make for a more comfortable climb.

The climb wasn't too difficult and it left me wondering
whether I could perhaps tackle the full challenge after all.With one peak down and two to go, I decided
to reserve judgment until I'd properly acquainted myself with Ingleborough and
Whernside.